U.S. Organic Waste Digestion Protocol

The U.S. Organic Waste Digestion (OWD) Protocol addresses GHG reduction projects that divert and anaerobically digest eligible organic waste and/or wastewater streams that otherwise would have gone to uncontrolled anaerobic storage, treatment and disposal systems such as solid waste landfills or on-site anaerobic wastewater treatment facilities. The protocol also addresses the co-digestion of eligible organic waste streams with livestock manure.

Current Protocol Version(s) Available for Project Submittal Adoption Date Notes and Supporting Documents
U.S. Organic Waste Digestion Protocol Version 2.1

(Previous versions)

January 16, 2014 Errata and Clarifications to the U.S. Organic Waste Digestion Protocol Version 2.1 (November 1, 2018)

U.S. Organic Waste Digestion Protocol Summary

Effect of New Waste Diversion Mandates on Reserve Projects (Seattle, California) (January 14, 2015)

Project Registration Documents

Document Description Required Phase Privilege
Organic Waste Digestion Project Submittal Form A proposal to undertake an organic waste digestion project. Project Submittal Public
Baseline Diagram: Digesting Agro-Industrial Wastewater A diagrammatic representation of the waste management system(s) existing prior to project implementation if the project is digesting agro-industrial wastewater. Project Submittal Public
Baseline Diagram: Co-Digesting Manure A diagrammatic representation of the manure management system(s) existing prior to project implementation if the project is co-digesting with manure. Project Submittal Public
Project System Diagram A project diagram is required for non-sequestration projects. See the example diagrams for recommended format and content. Verification Private
OWD Project Monitoring Report Template This report is required when a project elects to take a zero-credit reporting period (see section 3.4.7 of the Reserve Program Manual for more information). Verification Private

Protocol Development & Previous Versions

Use the links below to access information about the protocol development process of the U.S. OWD Protocol. Public comments, staff responses to public comments, workgroup participants, and other supporting documents can also be found here.

Click a version of the protocol below to access more information:

Please contact the Reserve with questions or comments.